The present invention relates to display racks, and particularly to a display rack for edible products which require no refrigeration, but which need to be protected against contamination by airborne dust and the like.
Display racks should offer products attractively, yet accessibly, but in the case of food products display racks also need to protect against contamination of the food product. Where a food product is somewhat durable individual wrapping such as vacuum-sealed plastic coverings may be appropriate for individual pieces of food. Packaging of this sort, however, is somewhat bulky, making such packaging of individual pieces and transportation of goods packaged in that manner relatively expensive.
For display and sales of some food products such as stick candy, hard sausages, or sticks of jerky or other dried or smoked meat, exposure to the air is not likely to cause deterioration of the product. Pieces of such products, which are of relatively uniform size and which may be sold individually for immediate consumption, may be packed relatively densely within a container such as a screw-top jar which can be stored, shipped, and kept sealed until placed on display thereafter. Such products are usually sold quickly, with little chance of spoilage once such a jar has been opened. Nevertheless, the product should be kept covered to protect it from insects and airborne dirt. Replacing a screw-on lid, however, is somewhat time consuming and inconvenient, tempting a sales person not to replace the lid promptly. While loose-fitting lids are well known for display containers, such as jars of socalled "penny candy" such lids can easily be misplaced. Left temporarily upside down, such loose-fitting lids can collect dirt, which then can fall into the container when the lid is replaced, so that such a lid contributes to, rather than preventing, contamination of the products within the container.
Depending upon the location and amount of space available, a display rack should, ideally, be able to accommodate larger or smaller amounts of products.
In any case, a display rack should present a neat appearance and be sturdy enough to support the products for which it is intended.
What is needed, then, is a display rack for displaying goods at a point of sale, including goods such as food products in a container holding several unwrapped pieces and allowing removal of individual pieces from the container, while giving protection to remaining pieces within the container and ensuring that the container remains protectively covered except during the time when pieces of the food product are actually being removed.